Do You Believe
by Mac-alicious
Summary: “Do you believe in magic?” She asked, her hair spilling over her face onto her chest as she leaned over him. Lily Luna Potter, Next Generation.


Do You Believe

**A/N: **This is my newest Next Generations fic. To even my surprise it wasn't a Rose x Scorpius (though it does have some Rose x Scorpius moments). I really enjoyed writing this. Not like most of my recent stories, I feel good about it. Don't know how good it its, but I liked how it turned out. This idea I had was originally a Hermione x OC oneshot, but that was prior to HBP and DH (and of course the introduction of the Next Gen characters). Plus I've grown so devoted to HHr and DHr, that I couldn't put her with someone else. Also, I don't really believe that Lily Luna would be average. She couldn't be anything short of spectacular with her genes. But this was the character that presented itself with the story, so please no flames saying I was bashing Lily or something. Enjoy. R&R! Thanks! –Mac

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP. I just like playing with the wonderful creations of J.K. Rowling.

**Do You Believe**

Lily Luna Potter was nothing special—not amongst her siblings and cousins. James was Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. Albus Severus was the first Potter-Weasley descendant to be sorted into Slytherin _and_ to befriend a Malfoy. Rose was brilliant, top of her class, Head Girl, avid Magical Creature rights advocate, and a whole mile of parchment's worth of other achievements to be topped by her fairytale romance with Scorpius Malfoy. Hugo had never met an opponent he couldn't destroy in a game of Wizard's Chess. Victoire, Dominique and Louis were all gorgeous—the perfect example of untamed beauty. Victoire, in particular, was the pride and joy of the family—the embodiment of the victory of the Light. Plus she had made Teddy Lupin an _official_ part of the family—and everyone knew how much of a wonder the turquoise-haired metamorphmagus was. Fred, like his namesake was before him, was knee deep in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Roxanne was similarly inclined, but gave a unique woman's perspective on the matter. Molly, like the matriarch of the family, excelled at coddling and scolding in balance in that naturally maternal way. Lucy, as her father before her, had an enlarged superiority complex that aggravated everyone around her to some extent, but was using it to her advantage—rising in ranks in the Ministry at rapid pace. Lily had lost all hope at living up the expectations of her namesake.

However at twenty-five, she had become the first Weasley descendant to become romantically involved with a muggle. Much to her Granddad Weasley's delight.

For the first time in her life, Lily didn't have to try and stand out or live up to her name. With him, she wasn't just another Potter or Weasley descendent—daughter of the most famous person in their world; niece, granddaughter or whatever of some of the most active participants in the Great War. With him, she was just a girl with a large family—which he had hardly had enough time to meet all of them. With him, she wasn't a mediocre witch always in the shadows of the exceptional students in her family. Even James who skated his way through his Hogwarts classes had earned better marks than her in some of them—especially potions, oh how Lily had dreaded Potions. With him, magic wasn't an everyday adage, the only things close to potions on his spectrum were the drinks they ordered at the bar, and charms were well, charms—alluring characteristics. With him, she wasn't Lily named for her infamous grandmother Lily Potter nee Evans. With him, she was just Lily—a girl with a name that reminded him of flowers not her memorialized ancestors.

She could have fallen in love with him then and there just for that. It was just an added bonus that he was attractive, funny, caring and had an all around great personality. It helped that her family didn't mind that he wasn't some famous wizard (or a wizard at all), a son of one of their friends, or the son of one of their greatest rivals. Both of her brothers had given their seal of approval—meaning they would refrain from hexing him until she had at least clued him in on the whole Magical world thing.

And he was perfect for her in that adorable I-love-you-for-who-you-are way, because Lily was certain if he was looking for something extraordinary he wasn't going to find it in her.

She had met him on her way home after an afternoon shopping in muggle London with Rose. Scorpius had popped the question on their last anniversary and with a spring wedding on the horizon, preparations were in full swing. As maid-of-honor, Lily was using every spare minute helping with the plans. That day Lily had squeezed herself into twenty awfully colored dresses—like chartreuse, vermillion, and periwinkle—that all clashed with the shade of her hair. Yes, it was Rose's big day they were planning but, God bless her, she had the most dreadful fashion sense. Lily was sure she would hurl if she saw one more dress covered in ruffles and lace. She had said her goodbye to Rose, who was meeting Scorpius at the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, and was on her way to her flat when she literally—forgive the cliché—ran into him.

He had been celebrating his parents' anniversary with his parents, of course, and his two younger sisters. They had lunch at a restaurant near where Lily and Rose had been shopping. Finishing up at about the same time as them and heading home in the opposite direction of Lily, he had run into her. While he had merely stumbled backwards, she had been sent flying to the ground, her purse and all its contents making a good acquaintance with the sidewalk. Cursing under her breath, Lily had begun to gather up her things, completely ignoring the cause of her fall. She had her purse back in order in no time, and when he offered her a hand up, she took it—the first acknowledgement of his existence.

"I'm really sorry," He began immediately once she was on her feet. "I didn't even see you there."

Lily nodded, "It's fine," then under her breath, "Not many people do."

She was about to turn and continue on her way, when he reached out a hand again, "I'm William Stollar."

"Lily Potter," Lily responded, her eyes wide as she shook his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lily Potter." William smiled, "Now, you're going to have to do me the honor of allowing me to buy you a drink."

Having never been picked up in such a manner, Lily was at a loss of what to say, "I don't know…"

"It's the least I can do after scraping up your knees like that," William prodded. "I feel terrible. I want to make it up to you."

Lily glanced down at her knees, which were indeed scraped. She took a deep breath and looked back up at William, "One drink."

One drink turned into two, which turned into dinner, which led to the exchange of numbers, which became another date and the rest is, as you say, history. Lily's unexpected romance with Will had become a centerpiece to her life, although it lay just outside the realm of her whole world. Lily had put off telling Will about her magic and being a witch under the excuse that it was far from a serious relationship. But then it became serious—she was falling in love and he had asked her to move in with him.

Will tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and casually suggested she move in with him. "You spend so much time here as it is, you might as well live here."

She had tried making an excuse, "You don't want me as a flat mate, trust me. I'm untidy and unorganized and all sorts of other things. There's a reason I'm over here all the time and not at my own place. It's practically unlivable."

She began to ramble, as she often times did when she was nervous, and he had kissed her to silence her musings. She tried to start up again when he broke away, but one hand tangled in her hair and the other found the exposed skin at her waist as her shirt rode up. Her arguments became less firm as he kissed her again and led her toward his bedroom for further convincing on his part. Let's just say that by the time Lily got her wits about her again, she had already agreed and Will was making plans so that they could better share the space.

It wasn't that Lily didn't want to move in with him, with all her heart she did. Will had been right—she practically lived with him anyway. It was what this decision meant that scared her. She would either have to let Will into her world and risk him seeing what a disappointment she was, or give up the everyday magic she used constantly when at her own flat. She went to Rose immediately to ask her advice. She hadn't been expecting a family conference, but that's what awaited her at Rose's.

Rose shared a flat with her fiancé Scorpius, who had Albus Severus, James and Hugo over to make final plans as his best man and groomsmen. Lily had apparated in for a private, one-on-one chat between the girls –no such luck. She had tried to steal Rose, but her brothers vetoed that plan. They all wanted to hear what she had to say, and so, they would.

"Will asked me to move in with him," Lily announced, after they had all crowded around the couch.

"You said no?" Albus croaked incredulously, knowing she had wanted to put off telling Will for as long as possible.

"I said yes," Lily sighed.

"Oh good!" Rose squealed, "So you'll have to tell him before the wedding! Now you can bring him!"

"It's one thing at family dinners," Scorpius commented, "But telling three hundred guests not to use or talk about anything magic would have been excruciating."

Lily took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, "How am I supposed to tell him?"

"The right time with present itself." James shrugged.

"Look at you, James. What a romantic you are." Hugo laughed lightly.

"It comes and goes."

"Any other day I would love to bear witness to your witty repartee," Lily cut in, "But I have a big problem on my hands here. What if he doesn't believe me? What if he thinks I'm crazy? Oh Gods, I'm going to be the next Looney!"

Lily's face fell into her hands. Her breathing sped up—she felt as if she was hyperventilating. The only consolation of that realization was that maybe she wouldn't fail to live up to her name. How tragic that was for her.

Rose began to rub Lily's back, hugging her slightly. "Okay, that's enough of that. Of course he'll believe you. The boy is in love with you."

Lily raised her head a bit, "You really think he loves me that much?"

"It's painfully obvious," Rose smiled knowingly, "We've all seen it, haven't we?"

"He's almost as transparent as you are darling little sister," James answered, putting an arm around Lily's shoulders from her other side.

"Will would bend over backwards just to make you smile," Scorpius added. "There's nothing he wouldn't do for you."

"I know," Lily breathed, "I, I just love him so much. I don't want to lose him."

Albus frowned, "You're not going to lose him. Why would you think you would lose him?"

"Because telling him I'm a witch would mean letting him in on the world of magic, in its entirety. In his world, he thinks I'm something special. In _this_ world, where the concept of special is beyond a muggle's perspective, he'll see that I'm not."

Lily pushed herself up off the couch. She stood, turned toward her brothers' and cousins' confused faces. "Let's just say he does believe me and he doesn't try to have me committed. If I share this part of my life with him, then I am willingly showing him how ordinary I am."

"Lily, you are far from ordinary—" Rose started, but Lily interrupted her.

"What have I done? I wasn't top of my class. I barely scraped by on my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. I wasn't Head Girl. I wasn't even a bloody Prefect! I didn't play Quidditch. I can hardly handle myself on a broom. I mean, both my parents were excellent Quidditch players, the best. I should have inherited something from them!" Lily sighed, "I am the black sheep in a family of spectacular witches and wizards. Our families reinvented the word magic. I don't want Will to see that and decide I'm not good enough."

"Lily that's ridiculous!" James exclaimed. "You are a wonderful person. I mean, look who you're named for—"

"I know who I'm named for! As well as I know who _you're_ named for. At least you live up to the name."

Unsure of what to say in response to that—her mother was more of a mediator than any of them—Rose tried to steer the conversation in a less heavy direction. She stood up off the couch and walked over to stand in front of Lily. She placed her hands on each of Lily's shoulders and forced her to look in her eyes as she spoke.

"Forget all of that, it's nonsense," Rose began. "Will loves you for who you are, just like we do. You could be a squib for all we care. We'll still love you, and from the looks of it, so will Will."

"How am I supposed to know when it's the right time?" Lily asked.

"I know it sounds silly, so don't laugh at me, but you'll just _know_." Rose responded. "You can't plan it, because with our genes that will only spoil it. It was that ways with us, "Rose held out a hand to Scorpius, who stood to take it. "We spent seven years in a never ending argument before we saw the light. You were lucky enough to find love on the first try. So, telling him this should be a breeze compared to falling in love."

It took Lily two weeks and Will moving half of her furniture and a good portion of her clothes into his flat, for her to decide that she had to tell him soon. The decision was helped along when Will enlisted James and Albus to help with the moving—they grumbled something about it being inhumane to make them do heavy lifting without magic. Once she had made the conscious decision to tell him, the right time presented itself fairly quickly.

They had his family over for dinner at what she would now have to call _their_ flat. Once his parents and his sisters had been sent on their way, Lily had to fight the urge to pull out her wand to get the dishes washed and the place tidied up. She had gotten skilled at keeping her wand out of Will's sight, and she wanted to keep it that way until she told him—which would be sooner rather than later it seemed

Lily and Will were in his—_their_—bed when Will provided Lily with the perfect opportunity for her to spill her guts. Will was lying on his back while Lily was propped up on one elbow next to him. He was looking at her in a contemplative trance.

"You're one hell of a woman, Lily Potter." Will finally spoke, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. "You're unlike anyone I've ever met. I don't know what it is about you. You should clue me in, because it's my greatest unsolved mystery."

This was her chance.

"Do you believe in magic?" She asked, her hair spilling over her face onto her chest as she leaned over him. She wanted to be looking directly in his eyes when she told him.

Will chuckled, "Magic? Like spells and incantations, and dancing naked around a boiling cauldron?"

"Not quite," Lily frowned, trying to think of the best way to explain. "I mean _real_ magic, not that gothic, satanic mumbo jumbo."

"You've lost me, darling." Will responded, "You're asking if I believe in…magic?"

"Magic, yes." Lily nodded.

"Magic. I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for here, but sure, I guess it could exist."

Lily sat up suddenly, taking a sheet that covered them with her. With one hand she held it over her as she leaned over to the bedside table on her side of the bed. Her free hand pulled open a drawer and reached inside. Pulling out her wand, she aimed it at a vase of flowers on Will's bedside table.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Lily spoke clearly.

The vase slowly began to hover a few inches above the table. Concentrating hard, she began to guide it in an arc around the bed. She made the mistake of turning to assess Will's reaction. She took one look at his expression of pure wonderment and lost all concentration. The vase was sent crashing to the ground. Lily winced as pieces of crystal, flowers and water were sent in all directions.

"Reparo," the crystal reformed into the vase. "Scourgify," cleaned up the water and plant debris. "Accio vase," the vase came flying into Lily's hand. She pointed her wand into it, "Aguamenti." Water filled the vase. Lily murmured a final spell, "Orchideous."

A bouquet of flowers sprouted from the end of her wand. She placed the flowers into the vase and set the vase on her bedside table, before she turned back to Will. His eyes were wide and Lily bit her lip in anticipation of what he had to say.

"How did you do that?" Will asked, his face breaking out into a bright grin.

"I'm a witch," Lily smiled sheepishly. "I can do magic, _real_ magic. So, don't expect me or any of my family to be dancing naked anytime soon."

"Your family?"

"It's in the blood, so if one or both of your parents are witches or wizards, then you will be too. Though there are cases when witches and wizards produce squibs—which can't do magic. Or when two muggles—non-magical people—have a witch or wizard born to them. And now I'm rambling." Lily swore under her breath, and then composed herself. "Are you sure you aren't freaked out or think I'm crazy?"

"Freaked out? Crazy? That was bloody brilliant!" Will shook his head, "Why would you think I wouldn't find that amazing?"

"I didn't want you to get your hopes up," Lily shrugged. "I'm going to tell you this, because you'll find out on your own eventually, anyway. My parents are heroes in our world, so are my aunts and uncles and grandparents. They brought about a new age of magic. My brothers, my cousins—they've each found a way to live up to that standard. I, I'm only ordinary."

"Lily, what are you talking about?" Will questioned, "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

"That was only simple magic," Lily said.

"Even that," Will replied. He sat up and kissed her. "You amaze me."

Lily smiled, "You're the only one it seems, but that's enough for me."

Lily put her wand down next to the vase. She let the sheet fall as she fell into Will's arms. She laughed lightly against his lips as he dragged them both down under the covers. He knew every inch of her, everything about her. All was well.

A few days later, Lily brought Will to the Burrow for the first time. It was there he got a taste of what magic could really do. Through dinner, the boys explained all about Quidditch and its rules. Rose told him all about her latest campaign for magical creatures. And good old Granddad Weasley interrogated him about all things muggle. Lily couldn't keep a smile off her face all night. Everything was falling into place.

"So you can really change your appearance when ever you want to?" Will directed to Teddy. In response, Teddy turned his usually turquoise hair to a bright Weasley red, and next to him Victoire rolled her eyes. "_Impressive_. I just thought you were the strange, eccentric of the family."

"Granddad Weasley!" The grandchildren chorused in response to the term eccentric. Arthur just shrugged and returned to finishing his meal.

After dessert had been served and eaten, the entire Weasley clan retired to the living room. Will gave a close inspection to the clocks hanging on the wall and giving the whereabouts of every Weasley, Potter and Lupin, before he disappeared. Lily didn't realize that her father had gone missing as well until her mother passed her and patted her on the shoulder—all the while a small knowing smile played across her lips. Lily frowned, unsure of what secret she was out of the loop on. Not able to find Will, she escaped out into the garden to at least find a moment of peace and quiet. Not long after she had come out, she heard the door open and close behind her. Then her father appeared beside her.

"Hey, Dad," Lily said, smiling up at him.

"Lily," Harry sighed, "James and Albus have been telling me that you feel like your mother and I made a misjudgment in naming you after your grandmother."

Lily was silent for a moment, "Well, yes! Grandma Lily was this, this amazing witch and I'm just me. Having her name and trying to live up to it—those are impossible standards."

"First of all," Harry began, "We didn't name you Lily to have you live up to it. We wanted to honor her memory, but we didn't want you to _be_ her.

"Secondly," Harry put an arm around Lily's shoulders, and pulled her into a hug, "My mother wasn't just a great witch. She was known for the way she loved—loved my father, loved me, loved her family and friends. So maybe you're not the 'brightest witch of your age,' which is difficult enough as it is with little ones with your Aunt Hermione's genes, but you love more fully and truly than anyone I have ever met. Like the way you love Will in there—your eyes sparkle when you're with him. It gives me comfort to know you're that happy."

"I am happy," Lily nodded.

"Good," Harry said, "Because there is no question that you have lived up to your name. Stop selling yourself short. You need to believe in yourself. We all think you're amazing, and so does that boy in there."

"Thank you, Dad." Lily's eyes began to water.

"None of that," Harry responded, reaching up to wipe away the couple tears that had escaped. "Now get back in there. Will has something to ask you."

Lily walked back into the Burrow and the room went dead silent. Harry gave her shoulder a squeeze as he passed and went to sit with Ginny. She stopped in her tracks as all eyes in the room fell on her. She looked to Will, who alone stood in the center of the room, and then to each of her family members.

"What's going on?" Lily asked as she took a couple more tentative steps forward. "Will?"

"Lily," Will took her hand and drew her further into the room. Her eyes widened as she realized just what was going on. Will dropped down on one knee and took both of her hands in his. "Lily Potter, I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you. The way you had to think about it before agreeing to drinks with me, looking down to check your knees and see that I wasn't lying about them being scraped. I fell in love with the way your eyes twinkle when you think about the people you love. I fell in love with the way you don't even know how amazing you are.

"I was going to do this a few weeks ago," Will fingered the small ring box he had pulled from his pocket, "but I got scared and instead I just asked you to move in with me. You know, I thought I loved every part of you. I'm glad I waited, because now I know I was wrong about that. There was a whole part of you I didn't even know. But now, in front of all your family, I can say I _do_ love _all_ of you with all of my heart. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you," He opened the box, to reveal the most beautiful ring to her. "So, with your father's permission, I'm asking you to do me the honor of becoming my wife. Lily Potter, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Lily nodded vigorously and both she and will broke out into wide grins as he slipped the ring onto her finger. He stood and pulled her into a passionate kiss, while her family erupted into cheers. She whispered against his lips, "I'd wondered where you had disappeared to."

"I won't be doing it again. Asking a father for a girl's hand is scary as it is—knowing he could kill you or cripple you with just a wave of a stick is right horrifying," Will whispered back.

Lily laughed, "You should have seen the way Scorpius shook when he asked Uncle Ron to marry Rose. And he can defend himself!"

So at twenty-five, Lily Luna Potter realized that it didn't matter that James would lead his professional Quidditch team to three consecutive World Cups, that Rose would be the first Weasley to marry a Malfoy, or that Victoire and Teddy would have dozens of beautiful fuchsia-haired babies. With the help of her fiancé, William Stollar—that brave muggle that decided to marry into this brood—Lily learned to believe in a magic much stronger than anything she had ever seen before, a _real_ magic: love.


End file.
